Triple Voodoo Adds Beer Magic to Dogpatch

Sasha Lekach

Triple Voodoo Brewery moved into a brand-new building in the heart of Dogpatch this winter, and has since been brewing up a following of beer-lovers keen on sipping locally-made suds.

Triple Voodoo was launched in 2011 by North Bay native Greg Kitchen and two other founders. Kitchen has a background in high-tech, and previously worked in an office in downtown San Francisco, but ultimately turned his hobby of home brewing into a business.

Kitchen now runs his 2245 Third Street operation with Aaron Chan. Head brewer Phil Meeker, a City native previously with the San Francisco Brewing Company and Iron Springs Brewery in Fairfax, has also joined the project. The New Spot, located around the corner on 20th Street, offers their menu to deliver to Voodoo patrons.

The brewery is located on the ground floor of Potrero Launch Apartments, a residential building with 196 units. According to Kitchen, many locals have been coming in and adding to the increasingly busy nights. “I love the vibe of the neighborhood,” Kitchen, a Bernal Heights denizen, said.

On a recent visit by the View, an employee said that since its opening business has been good, with counter staff hustling food and beer orders. According to Kitchen, the brewery plans to stick to beer, and won’t expand to include a kitchen. In addition to New Spot carry-in, beef jerky from Belmont-based JerknPickle is available, and there’s the potential for other bar snacks and connections with additional restaurants and food trucks. “People are realizing beer pairs really well with food,” Kitchen said, going on to explain plans to have chocolate pairings on offer in the taproom.

A handful of beers are on tap, with a saison, or Belgian table beer, the newest brew produced. The beer features lemon verbena grown in Meeker’s San Francisco backyard. The yeast comes from GigaYeast in Belmont; the hops are from Oregon. Kitchen strives to create “something unique yet well-balanced.” Triple Voodoo also offers a root beer on tap.

Before finding a steady location to call their own, the company had been bottling five different beers sold at Bay Area supermarkets and liquor stores—including Whole Foods, BevMo, Sprouts Farmers Markets, and Cost Plus World Market—and offering draught brews at restaurants and bars, such as Americano near Mission Street and Embarcadero and Doc’s Clock in the Mission.

Setting-up a beer shop so close to “wine country” doesn’t phase Kitchen, who thinks, “People are becoming more attuned to craft beer.” He sees local beers becoming more prevalent, and beer as a more socially acceptable choice for all types of foodies. He believes Dogpatch’s vibe contributes to the brewery’s welcoming attitude and accentuates its industrial theme, which is reinforced by the brewery’s large space and long communal tables made with reclaimed walnut.

Coming changes to the establishment include featuring local artists’ work. Though Triple Voodoo isn’t a sports bar, Kitchen conceded that televisions will be installed in time for baseball season, given the proximity of the brewery to AT&T Park. He hopes that the taproom becomes a place where people can play a board game or hold a weekly card match. There’s free Wi-Fi, encouraging patrons to settle in and work over some beers. Kitchen is also aiming to offer educational opportunities to teach interested residents about beer-making and brewing.

Brewery tours are also on tap, with beer enthusiasts able to see the backside of the business, where custom-made equipment helps make the different beers that are brewed once every two weeks. In what Kitchen called a spacious facility, there’s room for more tanks if demand for the brand grows..

Kitchen knows he’s not the first brewery to open in the area, but he said, “the beer community is not super competitive. It’s super collaborative.” He’s already received help from Haight and Dogpatch-based Magnolia Brewing Company, and Bayview-based Speakeasy Ales and Lagers brewery. He called Triple Voodoo’s opening “just the beginning,” and said he plans for the brewery “to be here for a while.”

Triple Voodoo Brewery and Taproom is open Monday to Thursday 3 to 10 p.m., Friday 3 to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. More information: triplevoodoo.com or 598.8811